Thermoplastic elastomer seal boot

A low profile, long life plastic seal boot for a stroking constant velocity universal joint comprising:

• the seal boot being produced from a thermoplastic elastomer and having a large diameter skirt at one end for attaching the seal boot to a round open end of a universal joint housing and a small diameter ring at an opposite end for attaching the seal boot to a drive shaft associated with the universal joint housing.
• the seat boot having a generally cylindrical serpentine end section that comprises a plurality of convolutes serially arranged end-to-end and that is integrally connected to the skirt by a radial wall, the serpentine end section having a maximum diameter at a crest of one of the convolutes thereof that is substantially less than the diameter of the skirt,
• the seal boot having an intermediate biconic section that has a large diameter end root that is integrally attached to a root of an adjacent convolute of the serpentine end section, the biconic section having a maximum diameter that is substantially less than the diameter of the skirt and less than the maximum diameter of the serpentine end section.
• the biconic section having a root-to-root length that is substantially greater than the root-to-root length of any individual convolute of the serpentine end section and greater than the combined length of the convolutes of the serpentine end section,
• the seal boot having a single convolute interconnecting the biconic section and the ring, the single convolute having a maximum diameter that is substantially less than the diameter of the skirt and a length that is greater than the length of any individual convolute of the serpentine end section but less than the root-to-root length of the biconic section.